General Reports and Other Publications
Defra: Defra has published the first epidemiology report into the Bluetongue outbreak, based on the situation up to 19 October 2007. The report concludes that the infection was likely to have been initially introduced into Norfolk, Suffolk and Essex on the night of 4/5 August by windborne transmission of infected midges from continental Europe.
The report also describes the generally low morbidity, mortality and prevalence rates in infected animals. The majority of infected premises have only one infected animal and the prevalence is generally low. Surveillance and testing are ongoing to gain an understanding of the geographical extent of the Bluetongue infection and to determine disease prevalence within herds and flocks.
ESRC: A new booklet, entitled ‘Human rights, a tool for change’, published by the Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC) examines the role that human rights should be playing in the lives of all in the UK. It was produced following the sixth, and last, in a series of special seminars entitled ‘Engaging Citizens’, organised by the ESRC in collaboration with the National Council for Voluntary Organisations (NCVO).
‘Human rights, a tool for change’ draws on presentations at a recent seminar given jointly by Katie Ghose, director of the British Institute of Human Rights, and Professor Weir. Their work is helping people and organisations in the UK realise that human rights are not granted, but must be claimed and used to bring about changes in society that will ensure social justice.
Press release ~ ‘Human rights, a tool for change’ ~ Engaging Citizens ~ National Council for Voluntary Organisations ~ ESRC Society Today
ESRC: Now is the time that many parents will be choosing secondary schools for their children but with education policy mostly focused on individual success and achievement, the importance of children’s school friendships is largely ignored, according to a study funded by the Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC).
Fear of being bullied made it vital for children to have a solid group of friends who acted as ‘back up’, ready to support & defend them. Those without solid friendships were inherently more vulnerable. For the minority who found the move challenging, friends from primary school were particularly important.
Fear of being bullied made it vital for children to have a solid group of friends who acted as ‘back up’, ready to support & defend them. Those without solid friendships were inherently more vulnerable. For the minority who found the move challenging, friends from primary school were particularly important.
DfT: An independent study of public attitudes to aircraft noise – the Attitudes to Noise from Aviation Sources in England (ANASE) - has been published by the Department for Transport (DfT) and Two key conclusions emerge from the study:
* First, that people are more annoyed by all levels of aircraft noise than they were in 1985, when the last major study in this field was carried out.
* Secondly, there is no identifiable threshold at which noise becomes a serious problem. Even relatively low levels of noise can cause some annoyance, which rises as the noise increases.
Press release ~ DfT - Attitudes to Noise from Aviation Sources in England (ANASE) study ~ Air Transport White Paper 2003 (Also scroll down for: Air Transport White Paper Progress Report 2006) ~ Get involved - 2M Group (scroll down for runway maps) ~ DfT – Airports ~ Air traffic forecasts ~ HACAN ClearSkies ~ Airport Regions Conference ~ Heathrow Expansion Lobby Group ~ AirportWatch ~ Scottish Noise Mapping
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